THOUGHTS ABOUT HAEDONG KUMDO AND MARTIAL ARTS IN GENERAL
Christian Hagman,
1. DAN candidate, 2017
8)
I don’t know whether my mind is beautiful, but I’d like to think that it’s invigorating. During my years of teaching in Taekwondo, I’ve had feedback from many of my students that my enthusiasm toward the art is contagious.
I always try to teach that special kind of training attitude and spirit with my own example. I am very energetic and supportive. I try to show that even hard training can be fun. My job is to keep up a good training atmosphere in my dojang and to make sure that everybody is having a good time and enough of sweat.
I think this is one of many important things when teaching something physical. To keep up the training spirit. I also want to show that I am there for my students, that I am present.
Martial arts training is often very physical and the feeling afterwards you have managed to do something hard is very special. It is a one of a kind feeling. Sometimes you even need to go over your comfort zone to truly develop yourself both mentally and physically.
Martial arts provide a very good ground for that. By this I don’t mean that martial arts training should feel uncomfortable, but I want my students to find their attitude and spirit, because I think mind and body are intertwined into one another in martial arts.
You can’t have one without the other. You can’t truly perform – sometimes even complicated - different movements (forms etc.) if your mind is not with what you are doing. You need to have a focused mind with the task at hand.
Martial arts are meant also to teach how to physically win an opponent. If your mind is not set into that special kind of mode, the battle is no doubt already lost. Also, if you’re facing hard times with your personal life, with the right kind of attitude and spirit you may find an inner strength within you and overcome the hard times better.
=> My body will follow my mind because my mind is the alter -ego of myself's energy which will lead and control under all situations we will face at every moment.
In Haedong Kumdo training, swords will follow body, body follow mind. So we need many kind of experience repeatedly to the changes in the martial arts and in life for choosing better one , after that, we can get better and more things to be needed than before. Thus it will make our life be fruitful and flourish, in training also same as in life.
11)
I think the essence of martial arts is not just how to teach how to crush your opponents would it be a real situation, but also to focus on the grace of movement (in haedong kumdo: gumbups, kummu, kimu, in taekwondo: poomsae).
Martial arts often teach also how to take care of your body in many different ways (stretching, massaging, breathing, resting, right kind of nutrition etc.). In martial arts there are also many different uniforms belonging to that certain art which also emphasizes the fact that martial arts is a system and a way of life more than just a crash course in how to break someone’s face.
In martial arts one must try and find a balance and understanding between just fighting and how to become a better and more understanding individual by practicing that art. Martial arts also usually contain some kind of a spiritual/mental aspect to them. I think the duality of things is the key. When you relax and focus on doing your art, you sort of learn gradually and a bit like “unnoticed”.
Martial arts are not necessarily that straight forward a method to teach fighting skills like for example boxing or MMA is. I like to think that martial arts are somehow a bit more sophisticated means to teach and to study self-defense, fighting techniques and many other skills. It’s a bit like when you’re studying something in a university.
You need to read a whole book to fully understand what it’s all about and not just read a couple of “important” pages here and there and try to cope with just pieces of knowledge. You have to think for yourself and find what is best way for you to learn things. There might not even be a straight forward or one correct answer to every question about how to perform a technique. Everyone is an individual and every single body works a bit differently. We are not made from the exact same mold.
=> I give 3 steps for better understanding;
( we also can divide many kinds of level in each step at the below)
A
| creation level | Doing based on spirit with body and mind - it is an artist who can create and show their own things naturally. Nobody can compete because it is their own one. It is just same as show a new frame to do or another dimension created for themselves. Enlightenment also come from this zone. It is only one in the world just same as JSKR is only one nobody compete in the world. haha.. |
B | skilled level
| Doing & showing normally as be learned with body and mind. Most of people stay here however they do for their life. |
C | beginning level | Remember & learn Kumbups, kimu, cutting etc. Do physically mainly and just try to follow. Many people in the martial arts stay here, but they never think they still stay here. Too difficult for themselves to recognize. So thinking out of the box in both martial arts and life is most important part because it will make us make a decision correctly to the changes. |
e.g)see 129p of "think out of the box" about martial art movement .
12)
The most important part in martial arts for me is to be able to do and to understand different things that not every random individual can automatically do and understand.
It’s nice to know and understand some principles about body movement and functionality, how to perform a kick for example, the many little details within a certain technique, self-defense etc.
It’s nice to know something special and to “be an artist”. It’s also important for me to pass on my knowledge to my students. To pass on the art and its “secrets”. I feel that is my privilege and honor.
=> Yes, to be an artist completely, we should be able to understand and get experience over and over by the principle of nature. Please see it more at the above